This colorful salmon sushi bowl falls somewhere between a classic chirashi bowl and a poke bowl. The seasoned sushi rice is topped with sashimi-grade salmon tossed in a savory wasabi soy dressing with a kick of heat, along with avocado, bell pepper, and edamame.
I make this bowl all the time because it delivers everything you love about sushi in a fraction of the time. No bamboo mat required!
This dish lands right at the intersection of a Japanese chirashi bowl and a Hawaiian poke bowl. While traditional chirashi features seasoned sushi rice artfully covered with various toppings, poke centers on bite-sized pieces of seasoned raw fish. This recipe blends both worlds: it uses a colorful chirashi-style rice base but adopts the poke method by tossing bite-sized salmon in a savory wasabi soy sauce. Once your rice is ready, assembling the entire meal takes less than five minutes.
Why This Recipe Works
- Tossing the salmon with the sauce seasons every piece without soaking the rice.
- Avocado, edamame, and bell pepper add a mix of soft and crisp textures.
- Once the sushi rice is ready, no additional cooking is needed.
Table of contents
Sushi Bowl Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Salmon: Buy salmon from a reputable fishmonger or seafood counter and confirm that it is suitable for eating raw. Labels vary by country, so look for wording such as “sashimi-grade,” “sushi-grade,” or “for raw consumption.” If the package is unclear, ask the seller.
- Sushi rice: Room temperature cooked Japanese short-grain or medium-grain rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. My guide on how to make sushi rice covers the full technique.
- Wasabi soy dressing: Mayonnaise gives the dressing a creamy texture, while Japanese soy sauce, mirin, and wasabi add savory, sweet, and spicy notes. Regular mayonnaise works, though Japanese mayonnaise such as kewpie mayonnaise, will make it a little richer and tangier. I have a homemade kewpie mayonnaise recipe if you’d like to give it a try!
- Avocado: Choose an avocado that gives slightly when gently pressed. It should be ripe but still firm enough to hold its shape when diced.
- Edamame, bell pepper, and nori: Use cooked and cooled shelled edamame, any red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, and toasted nori (both seasoned and unseasoned work). I skip green bell pepper because its sharper flavor can take over the bowl.
How to Make a Salmon Sushi Bowl
- Prepare the rice. Make the sushi rice and let it cool to room temperature.
- Dress the salmon. Whisk the ingredients for the dressing and toss it with the salmon.
- Prepare the remaining toppings. Chop the veggies and prepare the edamame, if needed.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the rice between two bowls, add the nori and vegetables, and finish with the salmon. Pour the leftover dressing over the ingredients and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Pat the salmon dry. Removing excess moisture keeps the sauce from becoming watery and helps it cling to the fish.
- Use a sharp knife. A sharp blade will cut cleanly through the salmon without tearing it.
- Keep the salmon cold. Refrigerate it, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, until you are ready to add the sauce and assemble the bowls.
- Prepare the avocado shortly before serving. This will keep it from browning.
What to Serve with Salmon Sushi Bowl
This bowl is filling enough on its own but I do enjoy adding a few sides for a more complete meal. Some of my favorites are:
- Tofu and wakame miso soup
- Japanese pickled vegetables (tsukemono)
- Gomae (Japanese spinach side)
- Agedashi tofu (deep fried tofu with tsuyu)
For more side dish ideas, visit my easy Japanese side dishes to complete your meal roundup.
Storage
This bowl is best eaten as soon as it is assembled. If you are preparing the ingredients ahead of time, keep the rice, salmon, dressing, and toppings in separate containers.
Cut the avocado, dress the salmon, and shred the nori shortly before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers in a storage container and eat within a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not quite. Poke is a Hawaiian dish made with seasoned pieces of raw fish, while chirashi is a Japanese dish of sushi rice topped with fish and other ingredients. This salmon sushi bowl borrows the dressed fish from poke and the seasoned rice and scattered toppings from chirashi, but it is not a traditional version of either dish.
Yes, but it will taste more like a salmon rice bowl than a sushi bowl. The vinegar, sugar, and salt give sushi rice its signature flavor, so I recommend seasoning the rice if possible.
Absolutely! Feel free to use other types of sashimi-grade fish or seafood, or make it vegetarian with firm tofu. Or, try my tekka don recipe (tuna rice bowl) featuring marinated tuna sashimi, nori, and shiso.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
PrintSalmon Sushi Bowl
A colorful salmon sushi rice bowl dressed with a wasabi soy dressing, and topped with avocado, edamame, and bell peppers.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: assembling – 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Fish
- Method: Chopping
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Pescatarian
Ingredients
Rice
- 2 cups cooked Japanese short grain rice or medium grain rice
Wasabi soy dressing
- 2 tablespoons regular Japanese soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons wasabi paste
Toppings
- 8 ounces sashimi grade salmon
- 1 avocado
- 1 toasted nori sheet
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame
- 1/2 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
- 2 wedges of lemon or lime
- Ichimi togarashi, optional
Instructions
- Make the sushi rice. If you are making this recipe from scratch, follow this easy recipe to make sushi rice.
- Slice the salmon. Place the salmon on a cutting board and using a sharp knife, slice the salmon into bite size pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, mirin, mayonnaise, and wasabi paste.
- Season the salmon. Add the dressing to the salmon and toss to coat all the pieces. Set aside.
- Cut the avocado. Slice the avocado in half, lengthwise and remove the pit by sticking your knife in the middle of the pit, and slowly twisting to remove it. Do this on a cutting board to avoid cutting the palm of your hand. Peel each side and slice the avocado into bite size pieces. Set aside.
- Cut the bell pepper. Take the seeds out and cut out the ribs (thin white lines). Chop into bite size pieces and set aside.
- Assemble. Take 2 serving bowls and divide the sushi rice equally. Shred the nori on top of the rice – you can also break it with your hands – and add the avocado, edamame, and bell pepper. Finish by topping the bowls with the salmon and dressing, and serve with a lime wedge, and ichimi togarashi, and salt, on the side.
Notes
- Only use salmon that is sold for raw consumption.
- Keep the salmon refrigerated until you are ready to prepare it.
- Serve the bowls immediately after assembling them.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 615
- Sugar: 4.2g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 23.2g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 66.9g
- Fiber: 6.9g
- Protein: 35.5g
- Cholesterol: 60.8mg
